Fringe-making machine



sept- 1968 N. F. REINTS 3,

FRINGE-MAKING MACHINE Filed Jan. 13. 1967 3 heets-Sheet 1 Fig./

Norman E. Reinfs INVENTOR.

p 24, 1968 N. F. RElNTS 3,402,745 I FRINGE-MAKING MACHINE Filed Jan. 13, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.2

Norman 1-. Reinfs INVENTOR.

' BY M5600; 23m

Sept. 24, 1968 R s 3,402,745

FRINGE-MAKING MACHINE Filed Jan. 13, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fig. 3

Norman F. Reinfs INVENTOR.

BY WW 13m United States Patent 3,402,745 FRINGE-MAKING MACI-IENE Norman F. Reints, P.0. Box 667,

Dalton, Ga. 30720 Filed Jan. 13, 1967, Ser. No. 609,019 6 Claims. (Cl. 139-118) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A machine for making fringe employing a vertically reciprocating needle or needles as a shuttle for carrying one or more threads cooperating with horizontally movable yarn carriers to act as a loom with a hook and cutter arrangement provided at the lower extremity of the needle stroke to cut the loop or leave it uncut as desired. The machine includes tension rollers for tensioning the finished fringe so that the needle makes unifrom selvage at the top of the heading and the machine also includes two spur rollers immediately behind the fringe to keep the woven part of the fringe from being pulled down into the throat plate by the reciprocating needle.

The present invention generally relates to a fringe making machine and includes horizontally reciprocating yarn carriers to alternately move the yarn on opposite sides of the path of movement of a vertically reciprocating needle acting as a shuttle and carrying the fringe forming loop with the loop being engaged by a hook at the lower end of the needle stroke and being cut or uncut as desired.

An object of the present invention is to provide a fringe making machine including a plate and a reciprocating needle associated therewith together with horizontally reciprocating shuttle needles to shift the yarn on opposite sides of the opening through the throat plate to enable weaving of the yarns in a known manner.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a fringe making machine having a needle carrying multiple yarns to act as a shuttle with the needle stroke being longer than the heading formed by the loom with the yarn being carried by the needle being caught at the bottom of the needle stroke thus forming a long loop or long fringe depending upon whether the loop is cut or left uncut.

Still another important object of the present invention is to provide a fringe making machine which is relatively simple in construction, easy to use, effective for its particular purposes and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of the fringe making machine of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view taken substantially along section line 22 of FIGURE 1 illustrating the relationship of the component parts;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of the construction of FIGURE 1 taken along section line 33 on FIG. 1 and illustrating further structural details of the component parts of the invention;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged plan View of the horizontally reciprocating thread guides and the position of the vertically reciprocating shuttle needle thereto; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmental schematic view illustrating the relationship of hook and cutter for engaging the lower end of the loop as the needle reaches the bottom of its "ice stroke so that the loop may be cut and form a relatively long fringe.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the fringe making machine of the present invention is designated generally by reference numeral 10 and is supported on a suitable type of supporting frame or stand 12 which has no particular structural detail but is adequate for supporting the fringe making machine. Supported from the stand or support is a horizontally disposed throat plate 14 having an opening 16 extending therethrough for receiving a reciprocating needle 18 which acts somewhat as a shuttle in a conventional loom. The needle 18 reciprocates vertically through the opening 16 in the throat plate 14 and has received through a slot 20 therein, a multiple yarn thread 22 or the like which is received from a supply creel,.not shown, in the form of individual strands 24- which pass between rollers 26 and 28 and through a guide 30 which form the individual strands 24 into the multiple strand yarn 22 which passes under a guide pulley 32 and an eye 34 and extends through the slot 20 in the needle 18 so that as the multiple strand yarn 22 is moved in a vertical reciprocating manner, it will be pulled longitudinally from the supply creel in a conventional manner.

Mounted on the plate 14 is a plurality of guides 36 guidingly receiving a horizontally disposed reciprocating rod 33 having a block 40 at the inner end thereof. The block 40 has a plurality of needles 42 rigid therewith and projecting therefrom in a parallel direction with each needle having a guide aperture 44 through the free end thereof for receiving single strand yarn 46 therethrough. Disposed in opposed relation to the needles 42 is a group of similar needles 48 carried by a block 50 reciprocated by a rod 52 slidably guided by guide blocks 54. The needles 48 also receive single strand yarn 46 from a vertical alignment guide plate 56 which is a generally rectangular plate having a plurality of apertures 58 therein receiving the yarn 46 from a pair of feeder rolls 60 and 62 supported by suitable brackets 64 for guiding and feeding the strands 46 from creel yarn tubes 66. The feeder rolls feed the yarn while maintaining tension thereon and the horizontally disposed yarns are fed through the vertically arranged groups of openings 58 in the alignment guide 56 and alternate strands 46 extends through alternate needles 42 and 48 so that the needles, as they reciprocate, will shift the strands 46 to opposite sides of the opening 16 and the needle 18 which reciprocates therethrough to thereby form a woven header with the width thereof being determined by the number of needles 42 and 48 employed with the length of the stroke of the needle 18 being correspondingly lengthened as desired.

As the single strand yarns 46 and the multiple strand yarn 22 are woven, a heading 68 is formed having a fringe 70 extending from one edge thereof which is r formed by extending the weft loops inserted by needle 18 beyond the edge warps and holding and cutting such in the extended position. The heading 68 extends against the periphery of a serrated take-off roller 72 which may be knurled or serrated on the external surface and which is spaced from a peg 74 so that the heading will be properly tensioned and guided into a plurality of take-off rollers designated by numerals 76, 78 and 80 which are supported from suitable brackets 82. Thus, the take-off rollers 76, 78 and 80 will maintain tension on the fringe heading and the spurred roller 72 will keep the woven part of the fringe from being pulled down into the throat plate 14 by the needle 18. As illustrated, a single spurred roller 72 may be employed or if desired, two opposed spurred or serrated rollers 72 may be provided for the purpose of retaining the fringe in position.

As illustrated in FIGURE 2, each of the feeder rollers 60 and 62 and each of the take-off rollers 76, 78 and 80 are provided with meshing spur gears 84 so that all of these rollers will be rotated in timed relation. Also, the shafts supporting the rollers 60 and 76 respectively are extended and the roller 60 is provided with a sprocket gear 86 and the roller 76 is provided with a sprocket gear 88 which are in alignment and which receive an interconnecting chain drive member 90 in encircling relation thereto. Also engaged by the chain 99 is a sprocket gear 92 carried by a shaft 94 supported on a suitable bracket 96, which may include an adjustable feature to retain the chain in taut condition. Thus, all of the rollers will be rotated in timed relationship to each other.

The rod 38 has an upstanding arm 98 attached thereto with the upper end thereof being operatively connected to an elongated connecting rod 100 having one end thereof pivotally attached to the outer end of a crank arm 102 attached to a shaft 104 journaled from bearing brackets 106 carried by the plate 14. The other end of the shaft 100 is provided with an eccentric arm 108 pivotally connected to an operating rod 110 extending upwardly therefrom so that as the rod 110 is reciprocated, the crank arm 108, shaft 104 and crank arm 102 will be oscillated thus causing oscillation or reciprocation of the connecting rod 100. The end of the connecting rod 100 opposite from the crank arm 102 is pivotally connected to a crank arm 112 carried by a shaft 114 journaled on a bracket 116 mounted on an outwardly extending supporting bracket 118 attached to the plate 14 in any suitable manner. Also mounted on the shaft 114 outwardly of the side edge of the bracket 118 is a crank arm 120 having a connecting rod 122 pivotally connected thereto with the connecting rod being also pivotally connected to a reciprocating block 124 which in turn is connected with the rod 52 for reciprocating the rod 52. This construction enables opposed reciprocating movement of the rods 38 and 52 and also the needles 42 and 48 to move the strands 46 onto opposite sides of the opening 16 in the plate 14.

The actuating rod 110 is connected to an eccentric 126 carried by a shaft 128 journaled from suitable supporting brackets 130 on a frame 132. The shaft 128 is drivingly connected with a shaft 134 also journaled on suitable brackets 136 and having a sprocket gear 138 thereon which is engaged by a chain 140 which also engages a sprocket gear 142 on the shaft 128 thus driving the actuating rod 110 for causing reciprocation of the needles 42 and 48.

As illustrated in FIGURES l and 3, the reciprocating shuttle needle 18 is guided by spaced guides 144 on a vertically disposed support 146 carried by a bracket 148 attached to the frame 132. The bracket 148 and another bracket 150 support the rollers 26 and 28 and the bracket 150 also supports the guide 30. A limit stop 152 may be provided on the needle 18 to enable adjustment of the length of stroke thereof to vary the length of the fringe formed on the heading.

Disposed below the plate 14, there is provided a hook 154 and a cutter 156 which will catch the loop formed in the multiple strand yarn 22 by the needle 18 and subsequently cut the loop to form the long fringe 70. The hook and cutter respectively are also actuated in timed relation in the same manner as in a conventional tufting machine and the loop formed in the multiple strand yarn 22 may be cut or left uncut depending upon actuation of the cutter 156 which is selective or by removing the cutter 156 and reversing the hook 154.

A horizontal guide structure 158 in the form of a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal rods is disposed between the needle 18 and the needles 42 and 48 to retain the single strand yarns 46 in a horizontal position during reciprocation of the needle 18 and during movement of the multiple strand yarn 22 through the shed formed by the diverging strands 46 thus serving to retain the strands 46 in proper horizontal position during their transverse reciprocation.

Essentially, the fringe making machine of the present invention involves the novel use of a vertical needle which serves as a shuttle for carrying one or more threads and the loop formed in the yarn at the bottom of the needle stroke may be cut or uncut as desired.

For making multiple bands of fringe, a plurality of the vertically reciprocating needles could be placed in a row with all of these needles operating from the same cam. The loom parts for the 'band or heading of the fringe include rods or tubes with guide holes for the yarns. These rods can be extended and all operated at one end thereof for multiples of fringe heading or the like. Thus, by employing multiple horizontally operating needle assemblies and vertically operating needle assemblies, a plurality of fringe headings or bands may be formed.

The spurred roller or rollers engaging the fringe immediately as it is formed keeps the woven part of the fringe from being pulled down into the throat plate by the reciprocating needle as it reaches the bottom of its stroke. Also, the take-off rollers pulling on the end of the finished fringe keep tension on the heading of the fringe so that the needle will make a uniform selvage edge at the top of the heading. Of course, the length of the fringe formed may be easily controlled by shortening or lengthening the needles throw by varying the drive characteristics of the cam structure for reciprocating the vertical needle.

The drive mechanism for the machine has not been illustrated in that any suitable drive mechanism may be employed for driving the shaft 134 and shaft 94 as well as an eccentric for operating the needle 18 all in a conventional manner. The hook 154 and cutter 156 also are drivingly operated in timed relation for hooking and cutting the loop formed by the needle.

The hook 154 is connected with a reciprocating connecting rod 160 through a pivoted link 162 and the cutter 156 is operated in a similar manner that is, by using a connecting rod and pivot link. The connecting rods are driven by cam structures that are driven by the main shaft or crankshaft of the machine and the connecting rod is attached to a pivoted lever on the hook block for providing a back-and-forth motion to the hook and a similar set-up is provided for providing the back-and-forth motion to the cutting knife 156. These structural components are timed together so that when the needle is at the bottom of its stroke, the hook 154 moves forward and takes the yarn from the needle. When the needle is at the top of its stroke, the knife 154 moves forward and cuts the loop held by the hook. These cams and strokes are timed with the weaving attachment and rollers by being driven from the same crankshaft at the top and are in accordance with conventional tufting machines or chenille machines which are old and well known. The hooks, and knives as well as the cams, connections and timing arrangements are all employed from a conventional tufting machine and, in fact, the needle 18 is employed from a tufting machine. However, essentially, the weaving arrangement, that is, the horizontally reciprocating needles 42 and 48 combined with the tufting needle serve to provide a fringe making machine by introducing a weaving operation rather than the conventional chenille forming or tufting operation.

In operation, the reciprocation of the vertical needle 18, operation of the hook 154 and the cutter 156 are all timed in relation to each other in the same manner as a conventional tufting machine. The single strand yarns 46 are fed between the feeder rollers, extend through the needles 42 and 48 after they pass through the vertical guide plate 56 and then pass through the horizontal guide rod assembly and receive the needle 18 vertically therethrough. The woven header or band 68 is then engaged by the spurred roller or rollers 72 to hold the woven part of the fringe heading after which the completed fringe heading passes through the take-off rollers 76, 78 and with the fringe passing over the roller 76, under the roller 78 and over the roller 80. These rollers are drivingly interconnected and are interconnected with the feed rollers in i a manner to retain the strands and finished fringe heading upder proper tension at all times. By employing the cam operating mechanism, the needles 42 and 48 are reciprocated so that the strands 46 may be moved in the conventional manner to form a shed for the needle 18 which serves as a shuttle. Thus, by providing the weaving attachment, that is, the reciprocating needles 42 and 48 and associated structure, a conventional tufting machine may be employed for weaving a fringe heading or band.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A machine for forming a fringe heading comprising an apertured throat plate, a reciproeating needle mounted on one side of said throat plate and reciprocating therethrough, said needleadapted to insert a multiple strand yarn through the throat plate in the form of a loop, means on the opposite side of the throat plate adapted to engage the loop, and a plurality of opposed reciprocating needles receiving single strand yarns alternately positionable on opposite sides of the reciprocating needle to form sheds through which the multiple strand yarn is moved.

2. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said plurality of needles receiving the single strand yarn are disposed for reciprocation in opposed relation parallel to the surface of the plate, said needles receiving the multiple strand yarn reciprocating in a perpendicular relation to the plate.

3. The structure as defined in claim 2 wherein said plurality of needles are disposed in vertically spaced relation adjacent the needle receiving the multiple strand yarn, and a horizontal guide structure disposed between the plurality of needles and the needle receiving the multiple strand yarn acting to retain the attitude of the single strand yarns.

4. The structure as defined in claim 3 together with feed rollers supported from the Plate for the single strand yarns, and a vertical guide plate supported from the plate and receiving the single strand yarns from the feed rollers and guiding said yarns to the vertically spaced plurality of needles.

5. The structure as defined in claim 4 together with a take-off roller assembly supported from the plate for applying tension to the woven fringe heading.

6. The structure as defined in claim 5 together with a spurred roller supported from the plate and engaging the woven fringe heading adjacent the reciprocating needle receiving the multiple strand yarn thereby preventing the Woven fringe heading from being pulled through the throat plate by the reciprocating needle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,522,863 1/1925 Brown 1391 18 2,670,012 2/1954 Voumard et al 13918 2,843,156 7/1958 Schwartz 13918 488,569 12/1892 Mauer et al 139-118 1,522,863 1/1925 Brown 139118 2,670,012 2/1954 Voumard et a1. 139-18 2,843,156 7/1958 Schwartz 139-18 HENRY S. JAUDON, Primary Examiner. 

